Elijah h



(No Model.)

BENCH TROUT?" SPOOL CABINET. No. 533,933.

Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

THE mums PETERS UNITED STATES PATENT Y OFFICE.

ELIJAH H. NORTHOUTT,'OF MARIETTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. W LEGG, OF SAME PLACE.

SPOOL-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 533,963, dated February 12, 1895.

I Application filed December 29,1893. Serial No. 495,128. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern? I Be it known that I, ELIJAH H. NORTHOUTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marietta, in the county of Cobb and State 5 of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Spool-Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in spool-cabinets employed for exposing in an to accessible manner for the retail trade various colors of spool silks, cottons, &c.

The objects of my present invention are to enhance the attractiveness and simplicity of the/present construction of cabinet, and to far5 cilitate and simplify the operation of removing the spools from the cabinet in the'act of retailing the same.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear inthe following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:-Figurel is a perspective sectional view of the case, the glass front being swung down to serve as a 2 5 receptacle. Fig. 2 is a detail of one, of the passageways and'the spring stops at the lower end thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts'in both figures of the drawings.

In practicing my invention I construct a rectangular casing or cabinet, the same having any desired external ornamentation and being of such-size and dimensions as desired. The top of the cabinet terminates short of the front wall, and to it 1 hinge at 1 a rearwardly'swinging cover 2, whose edges are provided with such ornamentation or molding as willform a continuation of that ofthe top.

- The front wall 3 of the cabinet is located 40 at the upper end thereof immediately below the swinging cover, and is of a depth about equaling the two series of spool-passages 4: and 5. These spool-passages 4 and 5 decline from the opening in the top rearward to the 4 5 back-wall of the cabinet, thence descend vertically, and decline forward to the front of the cabinet, terminating above the base 6 thereof. The upper ends ofthe passages 4 are set back from those of the'passages 5, so that each set of passages has its receiving ends exposed'in such manner as to readily receive spools. The

passages 4 at their lower ends project beyond the passages 5, and said lower ends' are covered by means of a convexed glass cover'l,

which is seated in a suitable frame 8 provided 5 v for the purpose,'and hinged at 9 at its lower edge to the front of the base 6, the latter projecting beyond the exit endsof the passages, as shown. This cover 7 being swung upward closes the'lower ends of the spool-passages and prevents the admission of dust thereto. In like manner the cover 2closes the upper ends of the'spool-passages and prevents the admission of dust. There will be exposed to view, therefore, onlythe first spools of the 6 series contained in each passage, and as a spool is removed, those remaining in the passage from which it is removed will move forward to the front by reason of the inclination of' the lower endof the passage. The space between the upper and lower branches or inclines of the passage 5 is preferably occupied by a tier of drawers l0, and thesernay be employed or utilized for containing pins, needles, or various colored cottons, as may be desired.

-The passages, it will .be understood, vary in size so as to receive spools numbered from eight to one hundred, if so desired, and are numbered accordingly at their upper and lower ends or at points opposite the same, as shown, whereby the proper number of spool may be readily taken from the cabinet or the proper passage "for the reception of a given spool may be readily observed.

Projecting forward and inward from the opposite partitions of each passage are a pair of curved fiat spring-holders or stops 11; The springs 11 are mounted in pairs at the outer edges of the partitions, and they proj ect outward therefrom beyond the spool pas 9o sages, and diverge; one spring being arranged to engage an end of a spool of the adjacent passage, and the other spring of the pair ongaging an end of a spool of the next passage. By this-arrangement, the adjacent members of the adjacent pairs of springs curve outward toward each other, whereby a spool is exposed at each passage, and held outward beyond the same in convenient position for ready removal. These spring-holders exceed roo in length preferably the diameter of the spool, so that spools rolling down the inclines of the passages will pass from the latter to points between the holders at the ends of said passages, and thus be held in a position to facilitate their extraction, or in other words, they pass beyond the upper sides of the passage, so that the forefinger of the operator may be readily inserted back of the spool and forcing the latter toward the front said spool will pass between the spring-holders and thus be extracted, a succeeding spool taking its place immediately thereafter, so that the cabinet always appears full.

When in the act of withdrawing the spools, the curved glass front being swung forward and down serves as a ready receptacle for any number of spools that may be extracted from the passages, and thus the operator is not required to pick one spool at a time from the several passages and hold the same in his hand, while he extracts the remaining spools, but can simply pass from one passageway to another, forcing each spool desired from its holder and subsequently gathering the entire number of spools, which it will be observed have rolled into the cnrved cover. The fronts of the drawers are preferably of glass, and with the addition of the curved glass cover for the lower ends of the passages, I gain a very effective and finished appearance for the cabinet as a whole.

By the employment of such a cabinet, the spools are all preserved against dust and exposure, and the spool that has been exposed to any extent whatever is the first one sold.

My invention, it will be seen, is very simple in its construction and obviates the necessity of opening and closing various drawers for the extraction of spools.

I may increase the number of passages or decrease the same as deemed proper without departing from my invention, and I may also resort to other changes in the details.

llaving described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. A spool-cabinet provided within it with a series of inclined spool passages, and having partitions arranged at opposite sides of the passages and separating the same, said passages having their outlet ends arranged at the front of the casing, combined with the hori' zontally-disposed, curved diverging springs, mounted in pairs at the outer edges of the partitions, and projecting outward therefrom beyond the spool passages, one spring of each pair extending in front of the adjacent spool passage to engage an end of a spool, and the other spring of said pair extending in front of the next passage toengage an end of a spool thereof, whereby a spool is exposed at each passage and held outward beyond the same in convenient position for ready removal, substantially as described.

2. In a spool-cabinet, the combination with the casing having its upper end provided with a front opening, and the hinged cover arranged thereover, of the plurality of sets of spool-passages having their upper ends located at said opening, each set being offset from the other and declining from said point backward to the rear end of the cabinet, thence depending, and finally declining from the back-wall to the front of the cabinet above the base, where the exit ends of the passages are offset, the pairs of curved spring-holders at the ends of the passages and exceeding in length the diameter of the spools to be received by the passages, and the curved glass cover hinged at its lower edge to the front of the base and adapted to be swung up over the exit ends of the passages or down to form a receptacle for the spools, and the set of drawers arranged between the upper and lower branches of said passages, substantially as specified.

3. In a spool-cabinet, the combination with the casing having its upper end provided with a front opening, of the plurality of spool-passages having their upper ends located at said opening, and declining from said point backward to the rear end of the cabinet, thence depending, and finally declining from the back-wall to the front of the cabinet above the base, and the curved glass cover hinged at its lower edge to the front of the base in advance of the outer ends of the spool passages and adapted to be swung up over the exit ends of the passages to close the same or swung down to form a receptacle for the spools, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELIJAII H. NOR'IIICUTT.

Witnesses:

JOHN D. WHITE, J. R. FOWLER. 

